Budget conference: Amid controversy, legislators defund Casey DeSantis’ Hope Florida

Hope Florida initiative: Liability for Casey DeSantis after stalled bills, funding scandal, negative press questions.

Key parts of the First Lady Casey DeSantis‘ Hope Florida initiative appears to be in funding doubt.

The last offer from Senate budget writers shows the Chamber agreeing to the House position of no money for the Office of Hope Florida.

And the latest PreK-12 Education Appropriations spreadsheet shows the Senate agreeing to the House position of offering no money for Hope Navigators.

The Senate bump offers previously had earmarked $535,000 for the office and $1.14 million for the state employees who the Department of Education says “unite communities while guiding Floridians on an individualized path to prosperity, economic self-sufficiency and hope.”

Yet if this funding level holds, communities will have to unite without these workers who “focus on supporting parents and guardians of children ages 3 through 5 by providing access to resources with personalized support,” who “are dedicated to connecting families with educational programs, child screening services and a wide range of educational resources to meet each family’s individual needs,” and who empower “families to make informed decisions for their children’s futures for success in school and beyond.”

The Governor’s Office says “Hope Florida’s Hope Navigators have been helping Florida families at the Department of Education since October of last year. Among their services, they have focused on helping families with children ages 3-5 who have special learning needs to connect with screening and evaluating services, navigate school choice programs, and receive early learning resources to help their child succeed.”

Hope Florida has undergone scrutiny in recent months, amid revelations that Medicaid settlement money was funneled through political committees for advertising against a marijuana legalization amendment. Whether that has anything to do with this line item is a matter of interpretation though.

In related news, the Office of Faith and Community has had a setback, with the Senate relenting on its previous desire to spend $1.341 million on 10 new employees.

Erik Dellenback, who served as the Governor’s Liaison for Faith and Community, also led the Hope Florida office as Executive Director until he resigned to become the CEO of Florida’s Family Voice and to serve Hope Florida in what the Governor’s Office called an advisory role.

In his resignation letter, Dellenback explained his rationale for stepping down without mentioning the House’s growing probe into Hope Florida. Dellenback served as the Governor’s Liaison for Faith and Community for nearly six years.

“Ultimately, there were two things that led me to the decision: First, there are some other exciting opportunities that I have been offered, and will be letting you know about soon and secondly, it has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the Governor and First Lady in this unprecedented role for six years, however this role was progressing where they needed somebody in Tallahassee five days a week,” Dellenback wrote.

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Gabrielle Russon contributed reporting.